The Messi Experience Park: football as you've never seen it before

The Messi Experience Park (MEP) will be a virtual journey which will unite football and technology like never before. This is the premise presented by Medipro duo Jaume Roires and David Xirau on Thursday as they revealed more about the theme park based on the best player in the world, which will open in 2020 in the Chinese city of Nanjing. 

In a space totaling almost 80,00m2, the MEP will have a total of 20 installations and Messi will not be the only star.  Leo forms the base of the park there's also room for the history of football and other footballers, among them Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. "It's a homage to football through Messi. But it's not just about him, it's a homage to football in general," Xirau explained. 

"Young people don't go to museums. They want other experiences and we are offering them that. Above all, on a level of interaction," said Roures, before announcing everything that you will be able to do in the park. 

Some of the things you will be able to do include playing with Leo in a virtual stadium and even speak with him in the park, which will cost around 40 US dollars to enter. Messi plans to visit the MEP when his schedule allows. 

Situated in Nanjing, considered the capital of Chinese football, the plan is that visitors will be able to spend the entire day at the park. The installations will be linked by high-speed train, metro stops and there will also be a hotel to satisfy all the needs of the public. It's hoped that by year three of the project there will be around four million visitors, the majority from China. 

The investment of 170 million euros made by Phoenix U-Art will allow the park to have a long list interactive technological experiences. Robotic attractions will be combined with large-format audiovisual productions, immersive solutions and state-of-the-art software solutions such as Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, synthetic characters and holographic technologies.